Hawaii Department of Education adds open data, upgrades website

The Hawaii Department of Education is making more school data available to the public. The Department has spent nearly $1.7 million to upgrade its website and include records from the State Accountability Office on schools including state reports and test performance data.

The website overhaul was one of the specific targets of focus outlined in the DOE and Board of Education’s 2011-2018 Strategic Plan. The new site took nearly a year of research and public and staff input. A redesigned Employment section is also available for those interested in working for the 25,000-strong Department.

Making school and teacher data more open has been a hot topic among educators and parents in recent years. New York City recently made big waves with its plan to publish teacher performance. Educator unions have been largely opposed to these measures, citing personal privacy of the teachers, however, parents and observers are often on the other side of that, wanting better information to determine school choice.

The Hawaii DOE invested $1.7 million of federal Race to the Top funds to build its new website. The funds will also be used to develop an employee intranet — set to launch in the fall — to boost operational efficiency, information sharing and collaboration among the various DOE offices.